"Probably shouldn't have": Luka Doncic admits being in the wrong to eject fan on Inside The NBA
On Wednesday night, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were blown off the court 132-109 against their heated rivals, the Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks had no answer for Devin Booker who dropped a game-high 46 points. Doncic had a good game but he didn’t get the kind of support that Booker had throughout the game.
The matchup between the two teams turned chippy early on with Doncic in the middle of a few of the skirmishes. Three technical fouls were handed out in the first quarter, which set the tone for the entire encounter. The game became even more testy as the Suns roared to a big lead in the third quarter.
During the said period, Luka Doncic asked the referees to remove a fan sitting at courtside. The patron reportedly told Doncic that the superstar was “tired” and that he needed to “get on a treadmill.”
On Wednesday, “Luka Legend” was at the “Inside the NBA” studio in Atlanta to congratulate the newly-named All-Stars. Ernie Johnson, one of the co-hosts of the award-winning show, asked Doncic about the incident that created a storm on social media.
Doncic replied:
(6:05 mark)
“It was the whole game. It was really frustrating. We were losing, I twisted my ankle in the first half and there were just a lot of emotions. Probably shouldn’t have done that. When I’m wrong I admit it so probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Luka Doncic was without his co-star Kyrie Irving who was out with a sprained thumb. Without “Uncle Drew” the Dallas Mavericks were badly overpowered by the visiting and in-form Suns. Devin Booker’s 22 third-quarter points were the beginning of the end for Dallas.
Doncic’s frustrations boiled over. He couldn’t even handle the comments of a fan who didn’t say anything nasty. “Luka Legend” must have been caught off guard as the Mavericks were playing on their home court.
Luka Doncic admits he is very passionate on the court
Luka Doncic plays basketball with his heart on his sleeve. He is full of raw emotions when he steps on the court for the Dallas Mavericks. Sometimes, he does go overboard, which is why he often complains to the referees.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd even told the media a week ago that he needs to talk to Doncic about the bickering with the referees. Kidd thinks that all the talking with the game officials is too stressful and takes the superstar out of his focus.
Luka Doncic had this to say about his approach to the game and the way he deals with the referees:
“It’s gotta be me. I’m very passionate on the court. Off-court, I’m a little shy. When I step on the court, it’s just a different person. But it’s on me, I gotta do it [stay on the court].
“I have to do it. Gotta play with the same passion. They always say to me, ‘I like your game because you’re having fun out there. You’re smiling.’ I think I just need to go back to that a little more.”
Luka Doncic is intensity-personified. Most of the NBA’s biggest stars are incredibly passionate about the way they play the game. The newly-named Mavericks All-Star will just have to tone it down a little bit. It doesn’t do his team good if he gets thrown out of games for excessive complaining.